Locking device for telephones.



No. 852,806. I Y 7 PATENTED MAY 7, 1907.

' F. s. K. SMITH '& 1). 0. REINOHL.

LOOKING DEVICE FOR TBLEPHONES.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 5. 1906.

UNITED STATES FRANCIS S. KEY SMITH AND DAVID C. REINOHL, OF WASHINGTON,DISlRlC'l PATENT- o FFIoE.

OF COLUMBIA, ASSIGNORS TO RALPH E. WALKER, OF WASHINGTON.

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA.

LOCKING DEVICE FOR TELEPHONES.

No. eaasoci Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May '7, 1907.

Application filed September 5, 1906. Serial No. 333,301.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, FRANOIS S. KEY SMITH and DAVID C. REIN HL, citizensof the United States, residing at Washington, in the District ofColumbia, have invented certain Our invention relates to telephones, has

especial reference to means for preventing unauthorized persons fromusing telephones which are left exposed in the absence of the proprietoror lessee of the telephone, and the invention consists in a lockingdevice applied 'to the colunm or standard of what is commonly known as adesk set, which supports the transmitter and .the receiver.

The invention will be fully disclosed in the following specification andclaims. v In the accompanying drawings, which form part of thisspecification :--Figure 1. represents'a front elevation of a desk-set,the upper part of the column being broken away. Fig. 2 a perspective ofone form of our'locking device. Fig. 3 a plan view of a blank for amodified form of our locking device. Fig. 4 a front elevation, showingthe locking device applied, and Fig. 5 a perspective of the samedetached.

Reference being had to the drawings, and the designating charactersthereon, the numeral 1' indicates the column or standard of a telephoneapparatus, 2 the transmitter, 3 the receiver, 4 the receiver-hook, 5 thevertical slot-in the column, into which the inner end of the arm 6 ofthe hook extends; and is of -less width than the length of the slot,leaving an open space 7 above the arm to accommodate the rise of the armin making electrical connections for using the telephone, and above theslot is an annular projecting shoull, der 8. All of these several partsare of .well

known construction and form no part of our invention. It is our purposeto utilize part of these features of construction to form an eifectivelocking device to prevent the use of the. telephone by others than thelessee of the telephone, or by such persons who are properly andlegitimately entitled to the use thereof by the lessees consent, and tothis end an annular flexible metallic band .9 is made to encircle thecolumn above the receiver hook,

and may be provided with an inwardly projecting lug 10 which enters andfills the space: 7 in the slot 5 between the upper edge of thearm of thehook and the shoulder 8, and thus prevent the hook 4 being raised andthe tablish speaking connection.

A modified construction of the band 9 embodies a widened portion 11having a notch -oropening 12 in the lower part which engages the arm 6,and the upper edge of the band engages the under-side of the shoulder 8and secures the hook and its arm against being raised.

At the ends of the bands 9 are lugs 13, 13, having openings 14, 14,through which the hasp 15 of a padlock 16 is inserted and the bandsecured on the column.

The band 9 is made of sheet metal properly bent or stamped into shapeand forms an inexpensive and practical locking device for the purposedescribed, which can be readily applied by springing the band apart topass around the column, when it can be equally as readily drawn aroundthe column and the padlock applied.

Having thus fully described our invention, what we claim is 1. Atelephone apparatus comprising a column provided with a slot, areceiver-hook in said slot, a flexible annular band engaging the columnand the receiver-hook, and alock engaging the band. i

2. A telephone apparatus comprising a column provided with a verticalslot. a receiver-hook in said slot, a detachab e metallic bandsurrounding the column and engaging said hook, and a lock engaging theends of the band.

3. A telephone apparatus comprising a column provided with a verticalslot, a shoulv switch of the instrument being opened to es- I columnprovided with a vertical s ot, a receiver-hook in said slot, adetachable flexible annular hand surrounding the column and I0 providedwith a notch engaging the receiverhook, lugs on the ends of the band,and a ock engaging said lugs.

In testimony whereof we aflix Our signeture, in presence of twowitnesses.

FRANCIS s, KEY SMITH.

DAVID o. REINOHL;

W'itnesses':

W. PARKER REINOHL, GEO. E. TERRY.

